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About Prevention of Blindness Week
In India, from the 1st of April till the 7th of April, Prevention of Blindness Week is celebrated. It is a campaign initiated by the government of India in lieu of creating awareness among the masses about the issues related to blindness and to make them know the value of eye care, since eyes are the most sensitive organ in our body and also lets us see the entire world, which is a boon that unfortunately blind people are deprived of. It began in the year 1960.
According to statistics, there are around 10 million blind people in our country and approximately 37 million blind people in the entire world.
Some of the blindness cases in our country include individuals who are blind by birth, whereas some lose their sight in later stages of life due to some illness or accident, hence, the government of India aims at making people aware of how to make the world a better and easy place for those who are blind, and for the ones who can see, they must cherish the fact that they have vision and must take proper care of it.
The week-long campaign also conducts a list of programmes in schools, institutes, agencies, hospitals, that deal with blind people, to offer them the best of treatment at a relatively cheaper cost.
Education for the blind through braille and other methods is also promoted during this campaign, and the masses are also encouraged to donate their eyes so that once they are gone, they can at least give a gift of vision to someone who otherwise cannot see this world.
Some of the key events held during this week by the government as well as non-government organizations include:
-Community health centers are established to make people aware of how to spot eye problems and what to do to maintain proper eye care.
-Free eye camps are organized to test people’s visions and check for any vision errors.
-People are educated about cornea transplants and how to donate one’s eyes for the visually impaired.